The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-02-10
CLOCKS OF A CENTURY AGO.
Styles that Were Popular I'm tho Co
Ionial Days-The Pioneer Watch
maker OF America.

history of watch and clock making in
America, says The NeD York Mail and
Express. He lis dark-haired, pleasant
hammered man, about SO years old. A
reporter gained from him historical
facts about watches and clocks.
Luther Goddard was the pioneer
matchmaker in America" Mr.. Cross
man said. He began in 1909 at Shrews-
bury. Mass. The factory building was
one-story high, with hip roof, and
built on the declivity of Shrewsbury
hill. There are no traces left of the
little factory. The watches he made
were similar to English verge watches
The wire, main and hair springs, bal
ance verges, chains, and pinions were
all imported. But the plates, wheels
and other brass parts Goddard cast
himself. He had with him several Brit
ish soldiers who, after tho Revolution,
decided to remain and ply Their trades
as watchmakers. He also made the
of the usual style; open face, double
case, and somewhat in advance OF the
thick bulls eye watches of the day.
The first watch he made was sold to the
father of Ex-Governor Lincoln. of Wor-
cestor. The first attempt to manufac-
ture watches by machinery in America
was made by Henry Pitkin in the fall OF
1888. He had four apprentices, each of
whom he paid $50 and board Il year.
The machinery was all invented by Mr..
Pitkin, and though very crude, dis
played great originality.
Gideon Roberts was the first to
make wood clocks in Bristol, in 1890,
and one of the first to make them in
Connecticut. His clocks were the old
fashioned, hang-up. The plates were
half an inch thick and foot square.
He sawed the teeth out by hand
and the weights were tin cannisters
filled with shot. These clocks were
valued at $25 each The one-day
weight brass clock was invented by
Chauncey Jerome, in 1888, and was the
most popular style of cheap clock for
many years. 1t was this style of clock
that was first imported to England in
1912. Main springs were first intro
duccd in 1915, and since then the ten
dency has been to reduce clocks in size.
The small nIckle clocks, first made in
1876, are an outcome of this popular
demand. The colonial high-case, or
grandfather clocks, which are sought
after now by the lovers of the antique,
were pretty much the only style of clock
known century ago. The Connecticut
beginning of this century, so when the
colonial clocks were in vogue there
were only few Dutch and English
styles besides Many of the finer col
onial clocks of the most celebrated
makers are to be found now in the
homes of the wealthy lovers of the an
tique and rare in art. These clocks are
of English origin, and date back to the
practical introduction of the pendulum
in clocks early in the seventeenth CEN
fury. Obadiah Holmes. minister,
brought the first clock of this style
from Europe to Massachusetts in 1859,
and finally, in 1850 settled in Rhode
Island. These clocks were very expen-
sive, and Rev. Mr.. Holmes in those
days was considered very wealthy to be
able to possess one. The first know
ledge history has of clocks being sold
England was when Joseph Essex and
Thomas Bradley offered them for sale
in Boston in 1712. 1t is more than
probable, though, that Benjamin Bag
nall was making clocks as early as this
in Boston. No correct data can be
found to prove otherwise. The first
difinite knowledge of him was an entry
made in the treasurer's book of Charles
ton, August 27, 1924, which mentioned
that he was paid so much for cleaning
the town clock. Bagnalls clocks were
rather small in size, with cast brass
dals and plain mahogany cases. Will
lam Clagget. the most celebrated col
onial clockmaker of the seventeenth
century, was born in 1896. and made
clocks at Newport. His clocks are very
scarce and highly pr zed. The move
ments are all fine and the cases of good
workmanship. One now in the Rhode
Island Historical soc'ety's rooms is of